Day: May 29, 2010

I was catching up on some groklaw news picks and found myself reading this little gem. It’s a list of excerpts from James Plamondon in Exhibit plex_2456. What follows is a rant, you’ve been warned.

Reading this I felt sorry for James, not like one would feel sorry for a cute little pig about to be made into sausages but more like feeling sorry for Darth Vader as he realises his fate is at Darth Sidius’s side. The guy is evil and I don’t mean in any over dramatic way, the guy admits it.

What is disturbing is the way in which he objectifies people, turning social relationships into controllable terms of negotiation. It’s the kind of sickness that must inflict every red braces wearing socio-path in wall street to the cape wearing dictators in far flung tropical countries of fantasy.

What is it that turns a man’s life into nothing more than a string of social engagements where the act of being friendly is all an act to exert control and dominance in some game? What is it that leads a person into believing that using other people with underhanded socio-abuse is something to hold up as a badge of honour.

I get accused of hating Microsoft, well Martin so why do you hate? Actually I have nothing against the basic premise of outmoded and nostalgic software production methodologies they embody. I instead reserve my righteous contempt for the culture that the people at the top there cultivate, their abuses of political and social power which have absolutely nothing to do with economics.

Notice the language in use, it’s very telling of where James draws the line of morality, it’s *way* over there where most other people would have stopped already. The language shows that this is a war with allys and enemies, mercenaries to be bought and battles to win. Oh sure Free Software isn’t about morality, that’s just about economic efficiency, social cooperation and trading standards. On the other hand Microsoft…

…Perhaps bug one is more than just stopping an economic drain and industrial stupidity, perhaps it’s also for some about sticking two fingers up to the industrial socio-paths. Those who would gladdy use their friends as shields or weapons and who think of their actions as nothing but a big game where those who break the social rules get to win.

End of rant, next time join me in a celebration of cute bunnies and puppies.